The possibility of NFL labor peace is only days away, and the two sides have begun their final preparations toward ending the lockout.
The major economic hurdle involving revenue sharing was cleared Friday, so the owners and players are working on their last details before reaching an agreement in principle, which could happen as early as Tuesday, according to reports.
From there, the NFLPA will hold a meeting with all 32 player representatives Wednesday in Washington, D.C., which will discuss the terms of the CBA and its plan to move forward toward recertifying the union, according to NFL Network. After that, the 10 plaintiffs, including Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, must sign off on the agreement.
The owners' turn will come Thursday in Atlanta, where they will vote on the new CBA. They'll need 24 positive votes to pass the CBA, which will reportedly span 10 years.
If the vote passes, the league will host a labor seminar Friday in Atlanta, and all 32 teams will be permitted to send four representatives plus an owner. (For instance, the Patriots would almost certainly send head coach Bill Belichick and director of player personnel Nick Caserio, among two others, to join owner Robert Kraft.) The idea will be to prime the teams for free agency and some of the greater changes to NFL policy, including a reported elimination of padded two-a-days during training camp.
If the owners approve the CBA on Thursday, it's believed free agency will begin one week later on July 28. It's uncertain if players can report for any type of minicamp, or when they'll start training camp.
Most importantly, there didn't appear to be any major snags in the negotiation process Monday, and the NFL is still on pace to reopen its doors by the end of the week.
